Aloisius Szymanski was born on May 22, 1902 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For whatever reason, he supposedly changed his name to Aloysius Harry Simmons after seeing an ad in a newspaper, but I can’t figure out what that was or why. With his unusual unorthodox swing, his received the nickname Bucketfoot Al because he strode toward third base when he swung (a lot like Jeff Francoeur except with a lot more success).

He was signed by the Philadelphia Athletics and would be a part of some of the best teams ever put together. Simmons came out of the gate swinging in his rookie season as a 22-year old in 1924, but his power (8 HR) hadn’t quite arrived yet. It came the next season with 24 HR, but it would dip over the next few seasons due to injury. From 1929-1932, his best seasons also coincided with the success of the Athletics, who won two World Series and played in another. Like his other teammates, that 1932 season would be the last of his as an Athletic, and he was sold to the Chicago White Sox for $75,000. While successful over the next few seasons with the White Sox, he wasn’t quite the same threat and wouldn’t really be for the rest of his career except for blips in 1936 and 1938 when he stayed moderately healthy.

In fact, Simmons held on, by his own admission, a little too long. You’ll note he was annoyingly close to 3,000 hits, and he wanted to reach that milestone badly. He, however, failed and regretted the hangovers and leaving blowouts early to have a fun nightlife. In order to repay his sins to the baseball gods, Simmons told aa young player to never give up an at bat or live to regret it. That player was Stan Musial. Regardless, his unusual batting style was effective, and Connie Mack yelled at anyone who pointed out the technical flaw.

In 1953, Simmons got as close as possible to not getting in but still getting in when he received 75.4% (199 of 264) of the vote. It’s a good thing he got in when he did as he died three years later at the age of 54.